O2 Arena to resume live events in December with Squeeze gig
The O2 Arena has announced plans to resume live events for the first time in eight months in December with a gig headlined by 70s rock group Squeeze.
The Cool for Cats rockers will play to socially distanced fans on Saturday 5 December in the first concert at the east London venue since it was forced to close in March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The O2’s capacity will be reduced from 20,000 to just 4,700 to allow for social distancing, while tickets will be sold in groups of twos, threes and fours only.
Other Covid-19 measures will include mandatory face coverings except when eating and drinking while seated, one-way routes and contactless ticketing and ordering.
The gig will finish by 10pm to comply with the government’s curfew rules.
“We have been working incredibly hard to bring back events at The O2 and put measures in place to ensure our fans will have a safe and Covid-19 secure experience,” said Steve Sayer, general manager of The O2.
“At the moment, we’re only able to host under a quarter of our capacity in the arena, so this is not a long term solution for us or other venues and we continue to press the government for targeted support and guidance to get the live events industry and its supply chain back on its feet.”
Despite the restrictions, the reopening will come as a boost to London’s nightlife and hospitality industries, which have been ravaged by the coronavirus crisis.
The arena’s owners hailed the concert as a major step forward in getting the capital’s live events sector back up and running.
At the height of the pandemic in April The O2 was transformed into a training centre for NHS workers preparing to work at the Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre.
The arena has since reopened its shopping outlets, as well as bars and restaurants.
The gig will be a triumphant return for south London-based Squeeze, who rose to fame in 1978 with hit single Take Me I’m Yours before soaring up the charts the following year with Cool for Cats and Up The Junction.
Tickets go on general sale at 10am on Friday 9 October.